This invention relates generally to lifts and more specifically to motorcycle lifts and includes a device for locating and gripping a wheel of said motorcycle either on said motorcycle lift or on the ground.
There have been a wide variety of lifts which have heretofore been manufactured and designed to raise and lower vehicles from the ground to permit working on said vehicles. Such lifts include either two post or four post or scissor lifts.
Generally speaking these and other lifts have been designed to lift and lower larger vehicles such as automobiles which have four wheels.
There have, however, been attempts to manufacture and design lifts for vehicles other than automobiles such as snowmobiles or the like.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,265 relates to a scissor-type snowmobile lift comprising a first and second cross member, rails, a pair of scissor members, two mounting brackets, a lower cross member and an hydraulic cylinder.
Moreover U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,755 relates to a structural support system for vehicle storage having two independent means to rotate a two deck inclinable structure about a pivot on a stationary structure.
Furthermore U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,726 illustrates a mechanism for automatically fixing a horizontally movable slide plate for a lifting apparatus of a lift system which includes a pair of upper and lower lift means.
Yet another device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,206 which relates to a ramp type vehicle hoist having a pair of ramps pivotal upwardly from a ground engaging position, with rams interconnecting a ground frame with the ramps to permit raising of a vehicle upwardly.
Such prior art devices present relatively complicated structures which are not that well suited for lifting lighter vehicles such as motorcycles or the like.
Furthermore lifting mechanisms for motorcycles present a challenge to reliably secure the wheels of a motorcycle since the stability of a two wheel vehicle is less than that of a four wheel vehicle. Various arrangements have heretofore been designed to attempt to secure the wheels on a vehicle.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,076 relates to a device for securing a wheel of a wheeled vehicle to a transport vehicle. The device has a wheel receiving channel pivotally attached to a frame and a locking apparatus.
Furthermore U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,962 relates to a collapsible wheel chock comprising a base member, a wheel restraining member having a transverse portion and leg members hinged to said base member for pivotal movement to and from said base member.
Another arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,796,557 which illustrates a wheel stop used in connection with runways formed of inverted channel bars and having a clamp device so arranged that the stop may be moved longitudinally of the channel bars to adjust the stop to automobiles of various lengths. Finally U.S. Design Patent D327,666 relates to a bicycle stand for a single bicycle.
These and other prior art wheel locking or restraining devices also present relatively complicated structures which are not well suited in terms of providing a releasable securing device for the wheel of a motorcycle.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved lift for vehicles and particularly for a motorcycle lift.
It is a further object of this invention to provide improved wheel locating and gripping devices for a wheel of a vehicle including that of a motorcycle.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a lift for a vehicle comprising a support platform for supporting said vehicle; scissor means displaceably secured beneath said support platform for lifting said support platform and vehicle; means for releaseably securing at least one wheel of said vehicle relative said platform so as to permit said vehicle to be raised and lowered on said platform.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention a motorcycle lift is provided comprising a support platform for supporting said motorcycle; a pair of scissor assemblies beneath said support platform for lifting and lowering said support platform, each said scissor assembly comprising first and second scissor arms pivotally connected generally between their ends; first said scissor arm having a first end for supporting said lift on the ground below one end of said support platform and a glide means at said other end for supporting said support platform; one end of said second scissor arm pivotally attached to said support platform at said one end and a ground engaging roller at said other end thereof; an actuator connected between first scissor arms and said second scissor arms for raising and lowering said support platform; means for releaseably securing a wheel of said motorcycle to said support platform.
It is still another aspect of the invention to provide a device for releaseably holding a wheel comprising wheel receiving means permitting entry of a wheel therein in a first receiving position and holding said wheel when said wheel receiving means is displaced to a second holding position.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a wheel chock for locating and gripping a wheel of a motorcycle comprising a base; rod means pivotally connected to said base so as to locate and permit entry of a motorcycle wheel therein in a first receiving position and holding said wheel when said rod means pivots relative said base to a second holding position.
Another aspect of this invention relates to a lift for a vehicle comprising a support platform for supporting said vehicle; scissor means displaceably secured beneath said support platform for lifting said support platform and vehicle.